We started the morning thinking pink, but this afternoon we’re going monochrome with an absolutely beautiful beach engagement shoot from Dillon Kin, a featured member of our SBB directory. Tammy and JP are high school sweethearts and you can tell they already share many years of love and laughter from the easy intimacy that infuses these pics – alongside that gorgeous Cape light! I love the way that they chose to accentuate the scenery with pristine black and white contrast, along with cute accessories like balloons and an umbrella. Congratulations, lovebirds!Read More
Good morning, friends! With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve decided to THINK PINK this week, with one pink-focused post on the blog every day. I know what an eternal favourite this colour is with my brides, so there’ll be lots to inspire! Today we’re starting with a roundup of 15 absolutely gorgeous colour combinations featuring shades of pink from blush to brash. Click on any of the pictures below and you’ll be taken to a full inspiration board featuring this colour combo!
Outside my window it’s cold and stormy and miserable (um, hello Durban, where is the sunshine?) so it’s the perfect time to look indoors for some swoony honeymoon inspiration. Because let’s be honest, you’re going to spend a fair amount of your honeymoon IN the bedroom, right? These ten suites from South African hotels are the bees knees and the cat’s miaow – they’re luxe, they’re atmospheric (often taking in absolutely breathtaking scenery), and most of all they’re super, super romantic. Start dreaming. (And PS, grooms take note – they’d also make for a hell of a proposal/anniversary surprise!) And PS, did you know that if you book your trip via Expedia and become an Expedia+ Rewards member, you’ll save 10% or more just by logging in? WIN. This post includes affiliate links. SBB may receive a commission on any sales.
Happy Friday, brideys! Hope you have a fun weekend planned, but first, we have lots of lovely coming your way, starting with this vintage French style bridal inspiration shoot from Jana Marnewick Photography. Jana based the shoot around ‘millésimé’, a French term meaning ‘vintage’ and she has created some absolutely stunning looks for a variety of brides. I am just loving the romance of light on lace, and I can’t quite decide between the soft pastel palette of the first table and the statement autumn palette of the second. Whichever is your favourite, you’ll find lots of inspiration here.Read More
Afternoon lovely ones! I have such a pretty engagement shoot to share with you, from a group of the loveliest wedding pros based in KZN, including photographer Tanya Jacobs and stylist Jana Vorster. When Tanya sent over Gareth and Natalie’s pics, I was struck by how much more than a couple shoot was – in fact, it was also a beautiful gift for a treasured friend. Tanya says of the bride to be: “Natalie is such a gentle soul, always wanting to please others and ensure everyone around her is happy, even if this means she has to suffer/struggle/work exceptionally hard. When thinking about her engagement shoot, I knew I would need to do something amazing for her in return for all the love she gives to others.” How sweet is that? The result is this lovely styled shoot, which reminds me of Out of Africa or The English Patient – rustic luxe, vintage romance!Read More
Morning all! Sorry we missed you yesterday – everything got thrown a bit by electrical storms sending the internet out of whack, and in the end I decided to chill out, stop staring angrily at my computer screen, and just enjoy cuddling up under the duvet with the dog and a cup of hot chocolate. Living in the moment, right? Well, today we’re back, and we have a gorgeous wedding to share with you all, a mix of vintage and rustic with a touch of high fashion glam, courtesy of the bride herself (what’s that expression in the South – the higher the hair, the closer to God?). But while the succulents and garlands and pegs and paper flowers make my heart sing, as usual what really captured me was the sheer joy that came through when Fran told me her fairytale love story (which started, would you believe it, at a party thrown by their ultimate wedding photographer, Heather Steyn!). This is a boy-meets-girl right out of a movie, and the sweetest part was that Matthew recreated the whole thing for his proposal. And if that’s how it started, this is one marriage that is going to be full to the brim with romance.Read More
If there’s one store I REALLY wish would come to South Africa, it’s BHLDN, Anthropologie’s wedding branch, who never fail to inspire me on a browse through their website. I’m particularly in love with their line of wedding gowns, especially since the prices aren’t bad considering how beautiful the dresses are. Even though I can only dream about visiting one of their stores, the good news is that BHLDN do ship to SA, so for today’s fashion feature I just had to share their latest lookbook with you all. This is romantic city style at it’s finest – proving that even a registry office wedding doesn’t have to be short on style. It stars models and real-life couple Ava and Ryan, and I just love the chemistry that they have in these gorgeous pics! For all BHLDN’s latest dresses and international shipping information, head over to their website.Read More
The moment this lovely outdoors-indoors celebration by Rianka’s Wedding Photography came across my desk, I think it only took me a couple of pictures to fall head over heels for Rony’s sophisticated Molly Sims-esque bridal style. And when I saw the rest of her wedding to hubby Anthony I wasn’t disappointed – lace, pearls and peach roses everywhere, and a touch of shimmery gold on her maids of honour. It’s classic but modern, glitzy but also bringing in garden elements from the beautiful surroundings of their venue. And with all the joy and vivacious energy of a Jewish wedding celebration, the result is simply spectacular!Read More
You’ve probably picked up by now that I (like most other wedding bloggers) am a HUGE fan of calligraphy, especially the modern hand lettering that has taken wedding design by storm the last couple of years. I especially love that calligraphy isn’t just for envelopes and place cards anymore – with lasercut and other processes, it’s become a decor feature too. Now, let’s be clear – if you want breathtakingly beautiful hand lettering, there is no substitute for the talented calligraphers who make this their business. The fees may seem hefty, but it’s labour and time intensive work, and I totally support these small business owners. However, the fact is that many couples just don’t have the budget for this lust-have, even if they want to. And in South Africa, there’s also only a very small number of people offering the kind of work you’ve seen on American wedding blogs. So what’s the solution? Well, as I say, it’s not quite the same, but a very pretty second best is to choose and use one of the gorgeous script fonts that are available online. There are a few premium fonts that lead the way in this area, but if you’re not willing or able to fork out for these, the good news is that you’re not stuck with whatever crappy script fonts you can find in MS Word these days. There are some absolutely lovely calligraphy fonts out there available absolutely free for personal use, and I’ve rounded up 15 of my favourites! If you’d like to download one of them, just follow the links below and hey presto – you’ll have a shiny new font to brand your wedding with.Read More
For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been exploring Pantone’s Spring 2015 palette, and today we have another lovely combination, bringing together pastel blue and yellow with a pretty sea green shade. I love how the combination of the blue and green adds depth, and then the yellow is a bright pop of action against these serene shades – perfect for a summer wedding in my opinion. It’s also a fresh alternative to the yellow and grey colour scheme that is still so popular, as it has the same mix of cool and bright.
Colours: Pantone Aquamarine, Lucite Green & Custard
